I have a 3.7 v6 ram and have been looking at jba shorty headers and cat back exhaust for some performance increase. I spoke to my mechanic today who builds and races cars and he told me the headers would be a waste of money (no power gains) and just be a hassle b/c I would have to keep replacing gaskets or seals. He also said that back pressure in exhaust is not necessary when you have cats. So is he right, should I forget about the headers and just go with true duals?

 

well...I like the tone and look. I can not prove that they had some benefit because I had the exhaust done at the same time and I have never had it dyno'd...but after the install I definitely felt a difference.

People notice them though, and it makes the engine bay look nicer, if that matters to you.

 

Header will definitely give you some power gains, 10-15 horsepower and torque, especially if you have a higher flowing cat-back exhaust. I've never heard of headers needed gasket replacements often unless they are not installed properly. Plus, headers look and sound great!

 

+1
sounds like your mechanic is lazy.........

 

after intakes, exhaust and programmers, LONG TUBE HEADERS are the next mod for most guys around here. There are plenty of power gains, if you have the right modifications to compliment the headers. Like an intake. intakes are great, but you see improvements when you have a free flowing exhaust and a programmer.

+2 on being lazy

 

I kinda have to agree with the mechanic on this one, but only kinda. You'll get modest gains from the better shorties, but unless you can get them for a really great price and install them yourself, IMO the small gains don't justify the cost.
You'll get better performance gains by ditching the parasitic clutch fan and installing an e-fan at a fraction of the cost of shorty headers and installation.

Now if you were talking Long Tubes, and coupled it with other mods that would also benefit from the LT Headers, they are a great mod. Headers are one of those mods that give you better gains with other related mods, they will also bring about better gains from those mods as well. Many higher end mods (Cams, Heads, etc.) actually spec that you HAVE to have headers installed with them. So obviously, the headers offer advantages over the stock exhaust manifold.

As far as the gasket issue, I have the cheazy cardboard gasket that came with my LT Pacesetters in my truck. I would have opted for a better gasket, but pulled the box open on a sunday morning and had everything set up to do my install. No way I was getting a gasket on a Sunday so I figured I'd just put them on and when they became an issue, I'd get the Mopar gasket (one of the better ones, actually) and possibly even some locking header bolts at that time.

Almost three years later, and I'm still waiting for an issue to creep up with the cardboard gasket. I think the key is re-torquing the bolts every time you do an oil change. As long as those bolts stay tight, you will never have an issue with the gasket.

 

That would require way too much maintenance. Cant do that. I think welding them is a better option.

 

Good luck changing them if you ever need to. Try Mid's, There are documented gains with mid tube headers and you can stay carb legal in most states. Longtubes are the way to go if you really want performance, however, not street legal anywhere. Besides the constant re-torqueing them keeps them from seizing, I bet hammer could change his headers and gasket out inside an hour if he wanted to.

 

Thanks for all the advice. The only headers I know of for the 3.7 are the jba shortys for about 300 bucks. I would do the install myself and already have an intake with plans for exhaust, so I thought they would give me something power wise. Was my mechanic right about the exhaust though and that there is no need for back pressure in a modern system with catalytic converters?